Chapter Sixty-Six: Nothing More Than a Stand-In

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"Honestly, I didn't want to show you. If Brother Jinchuan likes you, it's because he likes you as a person, not because you look like my former sister." Ye Qingqing spoke with a serious expression, as if she were genuinely defending Xie Jinchuan.

Shen Qingli felt a sudden pang in her heart, as though something within her had shifted.

"Mm, I'm fine," she said, forcing a smile, though her mind remained unsettled. It was merely a resemblance, after all. She and that person were entirely different... weren't they?

Noticing the expression on the woman's face beside her, Ye Qingqing let out a cold laugh.

"Sister, are we going to ride this strange thing?" The sound brought Shen Qingli back to herself, and she realized they had somehow arrived in front of the car.

"Yes, this is called a car. Once we're home, I'll explain this world to you," Shen Qingli replied, opening the car door and helping Ye Qingqing inside before driving toward the villa.

Throughout the journey, Ye Qingqing was unusually curious about everything, while Shen Qingli responded calmly, her mind clearly preoccupied.

"We're here," Shen Qingli announced as the car pulled up to the villa. As she got out to help Ye Qingqing, she noticed the girl's ankle had nearly healed.

"Your foot?"

Ye Qingqing tilted her head adorably. "Oh, I forgot to tell you, Sister. I'm the disciple of the Medicine King, so I can heal myself."

"But in exchange, our spiritual power tends to attract the attention of monsters."

Hearing this, Shen Qingli suddenly remembered Xie Jinchuan upstairs, still injured. Without hesitation, she pulled Ye Qingqing upstairs.

"If that's the case, you should check on Jinchuan. His injuries are severe."

They ascended, and Xie Jinchuan remained unconscious.

"Brother Jinchuan!" Without another word, Ye Qingqing broke free from Shen Qingli and rushed to the man's side.

"I'll heal you, Brother Jinchuan. Don't worry, I will make you better, I promise."

As she spoke, Shen Qingli saw Ye Qingqing take Xie Jinchuan's hand and press it to her own forehead.

A gentle glow began to envelop them both.

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As Xie Jinchuan's wounds gradually healed, Ye Qingqing's face grew paler and paler.

Only when the man finally opened his eyes did Ye Qingqing release his hand.

"Brother Jinchuan..." Ye Qingqing called out weakly, then promptly fainted onto the nearby rug, her complexion deathly pale.

"Is that... Ye Qingqing?" Xie Jinchuan looked at the girl collapsed beside him, uncertainty in his voice.

"Are you alright?" Shen Qingli felt a wave of relief as he woke, but in the next moment, she was pulled back by the man.

"Qingli, what happened here?" Xie Jinchuan frowned, holding her close, his eyes filled with both vigilance and a look Shen Qingli could not decipher.

"I found her in the back hills. I had originally gone to avenge you and find a demon core to heal your wounds, but when I arrived, I discovered her being chased by a monster, injured..."

She summarized the events, deliberately omitting her conversations with Ye Qingqing and the memories she had seen.

"Are you hurt?"

The first thing Xie Jinchuan asked was if she was alright, and Shen Qingli's heart trembled. She looked up into his concerned eyes, and her anxiety melted away.

"I'm fine. But she's fainted now, what should we do?"

She glanced at Ye Qingqing lying on the floor, feeling at a loss.

"It's just that she just arrived and used too much spiritual power, so she fainted. A bit of rest will do. I'll take her to a room," Xie Jinchuan replied, frowning. Without waiting for Shen Qingli, he picked Ye Qingqing up and carried her upstairs to a guest room.

Watching the two of them, Shen Qingli lowered her gaze, sighed softly, and turned to her own room.

A sense of helplessness weighed her down, and she fell into a deep sleep as soon as she lay on her bed.

She failed to notice a black-red aura slipping into her brow.

Elsewhere, at the hospital.

Rong Qiaoyi glanced at the butterfly that had returned with a report, her lips curling into a cold smile.

"Unexpectedly, Ye Qingqing has managed to get close to both of them. But her sudden resurrection must have left Xie Jianchuan with plenty of questions."

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She murmured, as if pondering something amusing, and then chuckled softly.

"Or perhaps he will question Ye Qingqing thoroughly, asking how she was revived, so that he can bring that woman back as well?"

The thought of Shen Qingli's stunned expression if things really unfolded that way made Rong Qiaoyi inexplicably pleased.

Imagining Shen Qingli's face when she realized she had become someone else's substitute—that would be truly spectacular!

Rong Qiaoyi sneered, and with a flick of her finger, a soul orb appeared, containing Shen Jingrong's spirit.

She squinted at the murky soul orb.

"Such a filthy soul will greatly enhance my power."

With that, she swallowed it whole.

Once consumed, the god-falling mark on her forehead grew clearer, and a sinister aura coiled around her.

She abruptly opened her eyes, instantly suppressing the aura with spiritual force.

"I can't let Xie Jinchuan notice."

She licked her fingertip, her demeanor seductive and wicked, yet her eyes betrayed a murderous intent.

As she absorbed the soul, Rong Qiaoyi felt her energy flow more smoothly.

Considering the rumors circulating online, since she intended to oppose Shen Qingli, she would need her own company...

As for that so-called "Journey," whether she filmed it or not was irrelevant. It had only been a means to get close to Shen Qingli.

Thinking this, she glanced at her agent. "Make arrangements. I want to terminate my contract with Shen Qingli."

The agent hesitated. "Qiaoyi, if you terminate, not only will there be hefty penalties, but that's Director Wang's project. Your reputation will—"

"Are you stupid? Can't you just say it's because my leg injury won't heal, so I'm giving up the opportunity to someone else?" Rong Qiaoyi snapped. The agent dared not argue further, scuttling away to handle the matter.

Elsewhere, Shen Qingli glanced at the upstairs room. The scene she had seen in Ye Qingqing's memories grew ever clearer.

She shook her head. "What's the point in overthinking? I should just ask him directly."

With that, she carried a tray of food upstairs.

She wondered if Ye Qingqing had woken up yet.